"I can't feel my legs." I had just done my first set of lunges.

"Don't be such a baby. Time's up. Up you get, it's time for the next set." I groaned. Neil was enjoying torturing me. And a part of me was enjoying it too, whether I wanted to admit it or not.

"Now, remember what I showed you in the first set. Get your balance right before you pick up the hand weights; feet together... Okay, good. Ready? Now together, down we go."

Neil was a ...training partner. He knew how to soften my unrelenting no's.

"It helps if you concentrate on something else when those muscles start to burn. How about you tell me something about yourself."

I could only grunt through my heavy breathing.

"Right, I can see that I'll need to start. My name is Neil Colt Kaiser. I'm 23, I model clothes in my spare time, my real occupation is Goofing. Everyone has always called me... because... don't stop, Chris. Deep breaths." He touched me on the shoulder, smiling in encouragement.

I couldn't believe he had touched me. When had I last been touched by a man? Never. Alright, my dad used to give me hugs before bed when I was younger... oh, and something had happened two weeks previous outside Walmart. That crazy Billy the Beggar had pinched my bum when I had stepped over his disgusting and disheveled form, as he laid spread-eagled over the sidewalk. He was supposed to have been asleep and had probably looked up my dress, spotted my granny panties. I now shivered at the thought.

"Chris... Chris, are you with me..."

I realized my mind had not been present or listening to the story of Neil's life.

"Ummm... sorry.... I was... just concentrating... really hard." I was out of breath; I couldn't breath.

"You okay? You just kept lunging way past my count."

I must have been red in the face because he offered me his towel and a drink of water. Suddenly, I wanted to run away. I wanted to run away from his penetrating, blue eyes, his perfect, chiseled face. His kindness. I didn't deserve it.

"Thanks." I said, taking the towel and water. While I wiped my glistening face, I urged him to carry on his story.

"Ok, yeah, so I was telling you that I grew up in a very stand-offish family. Being an only child, I was always just a fly on the wall. I think my parents were hoping to be childless..." He looked through me, pensive. "You will love my mom, though, she owns a bakery!" He winked. "My dad is a lawyer, ruthless. He got that serial killer,.. you remember the famous one from Milwaukee, the one who kidnapped, molested and strangled four children... my dad talked the court into giving Beagle bail... a day after his release, two more children went missing. They found all three dead, a mile out of town in an abandoned barn... the two kids had their throats slit, hands tied behind their small backs, Beagle had shot himself in the head. Not a pretty sight for those police first on the scene. A lot of blood. I guess my dad was also dead wrong."

Neil went quiet, and suddenly came to life, "Whoa, what's up with me today... Sorry, didn't mean to go off on You. Hey, get your cute self back up for our last set. One, lunge and up... That's it. Two, lunge and up. You've got it, Chris."